Sparkles of Varda
by CeliyaTelphanra
Summary: Ch. 3 is now up! Two teens are transported to Middle Earth and proceed to enjoy themselves (at the expense of the canon characters). However, they can't remember anything about their world, and more importantly everything they ever knew about Middle Earth
1. Fateful Night

**A/N: If you were wondering, this is story was the product of the combined efforts of two LOTR fans at about midnight. It started in the same place and time as the story begins in, Tel's basement, late at night, while Cel was visiting. It's taken us a long time to get it edited and up because of distance (about 300 miles) and the fact that we wanted to get as much of the rough draft done as possible before stating to post. Basically, we wrote this for our own amusement. It's strange and really, almost painfully AU, but we had a helluva lot of fun with it.**

**Also, as with most stories this one takes awhile to get going. Don't judge the story by this first chapter, it gets better. Thanks , Enjoy!**

**-'Telphanra'**

**DISCLAIMER: **

**Tel:** Hi. Regrettably, we don't own LOTR.

**Cel:** As most people know.

**Tel:** As much as I would love to say that I have the entire fellowship as well as everyone from the Silmarillion carefully stored in my basement, I don't. That would require far too much duct tape.

**Cel:** But I do...in my fantasy world

**Tel:** Would you use duct tape too? Or do you think string would work better?

**Cel:** Duct tape, works for everything.

**Tel:** Like canoes !

**Cel: **But of course.

**Once upon a time in the land-locked, semi urban, and fairly uninteresting haven of a small midwestern city, two old friends were catching up after several months of separation. Sure, it was about eleven P.M., and the parents of one of the two girls were attempting to sleep directly above the basement they occupied, but this was hardly a good reason to NOT watch a certain movie...a certain three hour movie...during which they had a habit of laughing insanely**

"Hey, Robin, hurry up with that popcorn! You're missing the beginning part.. Galadriel's getting all spooky!"

"Nooooo, wait! Pause it! Pause it I say!"

Robin, an inhabitant of the house, rushed through the door carrying two overflowing bowls of popcorn (light butter to be specific). Her friend, Gwen, the visitor, took it upon herself to add another request while her hostess was up..

"Oh and while you're up, close the goddamn window! You know how I get about windows!"

Smiling, but rolling her eyes slightly, Robin replied

"Yeah, yeah I know, you never know when something or someone will try to get in and kill us all. Good grief she's paranoid..."

There was a bright flash outside, shortly followed by a loud rumble.

"Oooo! Thunderstorm!"

Hastily depositing the popcorn in Gwen's lap, she ran to the window, eyes alight with a slightly maniacal twinkle.

"That's what I love about Augustâ€sooo many T-Stormsâ€and this looks like a good one." She continued.

With a not-quite-tolerant sigh, Gwen said

"No really! Now get your ass over here!"

Unwillingly regaining her focus, Robin closed the drapes and sat down next to her friend

"My ass takes offence." she laughed. "WOW wait, pause it, I want to see Gil-Galad!"

"Who the hell is that anyway?"

With another slight roll of her eyes, Robin sighed

"God Gwen, you have to read the books!"

With a small, bored wave of her hand and a look of long suffering, the girl answered

"I'm getting' to it, I'm gettin' to it.. Besides, why read them myself when I have you to tell me everything?" She stuck out her tongue.

Robin mumbled "Lazy bum"

Gwen growled "I heard that you idiot!"

"Heard whaaa. Ooooooo!"

Robin exclaimed as she leaned towards the screen..

"What?"

"Pause it here, pause it here, it's the big fight scene!"

Narrowing her eyes, Gwen replied

"NO way. YOU get over here with that popcorn, sit your ass down, and watch the damn movie! We can't pause it every thirty seconds!"

"No! YOU give ME the remote and I'll pause it myself!" Robin retorted as she lunged for the remote.

Her friend gave a desperate howl,

"Never!!" and then, turning, "Huh?!"

Confused, her opponent paused in her frantic grabbing long enough to ask

"What?"

Shortly followed by

"HOLY SHIT!"

She had followed the direction of Gwen's eyes to an unshaded window, where intensely bright light could be seen. A ground-shaking roll of thunder, more flashes, and silence quickly cut off the girls' surprised screams..

Which was broken by the voice of Kate Blanchett from the T.V.

"For there will soon come a time when Hobbits will shape the fortunes of all"

**Meanwhile, a few dimensions/millennia away, somewhere off the border of Fangorn and Rohan: **

Gandalf and Aragorn were stumbling around in a driving rain, during a storm equally as violent as the one appearing in America in 2003..

"Gandalf! We should wait out the storm here..." Aragorn bellowed over the storm, this was beginning to get dangerous..

Gandalf yelled back over his shoulder, "NO! I want to reach the forest before we make camp!"

Aragorn winced and quietly mumbled "Fine! Stubborn old Istar. We'll just leave the mortals to melt..."

Suddenly, a blinding light followed by a huge thunder blast appeared some distance away from the two travelers, over the trees of Fangorn Forest

Gandalf stopped abruptly,

"What the name of..."

His companion, having walked into him and seen the flash in the same moment, finished the statement for the wizard..

"Eru!"

The Istari regained his composure,

"Thank you. On second thought, perhaps we should camp out under those bushes"

With a sigh of relief (inaudible over the storm) Aragorn shouted back

"I agree!"

Then, once again muttering, "Told you so"

Although he gave no sign of hearing the man, Gandalf though angrily to himself, "Childish dunadan! In my day, Atani always showed respect for a Maia"

**End chapter one**


	2. Meetings in the Trees

**DISCLAIMER:**

**Tel: **I know, I know. Tolkien's rolling in his grave. But really, anything truly great is bound to have a crazed fan-base.

**Ce**l Try to deal with it.

****

**Gwen and Robin's Flashback**

With her and Robin's screams echoing in her ears, Gwen opened her eyes. The sight that greeted them would have been extremely bewildering to most people. Gwen however, was not most people.

"Oooo, sparkly!"

Sparkly was a bit of an understatement. Gwen and the still unconscious Robin were lying on the polished marble floor of a gigantic, white marble chamber with a vaulted ceiling. There was a faint mist around them and shimmering motes of white light floated upward from it. There were large reliefs cut into the walls depicting tall figures in all sorts of situations, but the most prominent seemed to be battles.

Before she could take a closer look, Robin (who had come to her senses after Gwen's statement) added an observation of her own.

"Umm, Gwen, this isn't my basement.." Gwen didn't seem to object.

"Look at this place! It's amazing" This did little to reassure Robin, who leapt up screaming,

"That's all well and good, but how did we end up here? I want some answers, DAMMIT!"

"Well, it's answers you want"

Behind them, a tall figure in a deep blue dress and cloak had materialized and was surrounded by a cloud of the same mist the girls had awoken in. As if her sudden arrival wasn't disturbing enough, the figure's impossibly fair hands seemed to give off a subtle, white glow. The hood of a dark cloak shrouded her face.

The awe of the two teens could have been expressed in countless ways. Many of them eloquent, polite and at least remotely specific to the circumstances. Of all of them, the girls decided to go with the ever-versatile "Eeeep!"

Gwen was the first to recover. "Whoa, I mean, whoa! The sparkles talk! Sweet!" Despite her companion's total lack of fear, Robin was more dubious of their safety.

Without wasting any formalities, (she had never had much patience with showoffs) Robin voiced the thought she hoped was on both teen's minds,

"Who the hell are you?!"

With a light chuckle, the glowing being replied, "Well Robin, I had hoped that you at least would recognize me."

As Robin attempted to process this thought, Gwen, who was quite oblivious to the conversation between her friend and the unearthly apparition, was talking to no one in particular:

"What? Where are we? Who are you? Why am I here? Ooo, more sparkles!"

As Gwen cheerfully danced after the motes, the being continued,

"However, I cannot say that I expected the same from the blonde one."

Although insulted on behalf of her companion, Robin choked on a retort as she witnessed Gwen's gleeful swats at the bright particles.

"Well, you have a point." After regaining her composure, Robin continued her questioning,

"Anyway, how did you know that my name was Robin?"

"Never mind that. What is important is that the two of you have somehow been brought to Arda."

At this, Gwen (who had some knowledge of Tolkien's world beyond the movies) began to pay rapt attention to the conversation.

"SWEET!" She cried, and as an afterthought "But why?"

At this, the being sighed. "Neither I nor the others of my kind know. You simply arrived. We agreed that it would be wise to explain to you what we do know. It is possible that you were brought here by our own powers, accidentally of course." Her voice now took a suspicious tone,

"However, it is equally possible that you were brought by another, an enemy of my people. He and his servants have long sought to interfere with the affairs of those living in Arda, and to corrupt the hearts of those loyal to us."

Robin now realized exactly what a perilous position they were in, and despite having no idea who this thing they were talking to was, Gwen was also becoming uneasy. Nonetheless, that would hardly stop her from defending herself and Robin from false accusations.

"Please, I don't know why we're here either, or even who you and these other people are, but we don't mean any harm."

Varda (as Robin had now identified her) leaned towards Gwen. Although she couldn't see the vala's face, Robin guessed that she might be squinting (she then mentally corrected herself, it was doubtful that the Queen of The Valar would need to squint, more or less lower herself to such a level of indignity). After a few tense moments of staring searchingly into the girl's eyes, she rose.

"You appear to be telling what you know to be the truth. Nevertheless, you both may still be instruments of our enemies, albeit unwilling ones."

Before either of the two could speak, she continued.

"Very well, you shall be spared. At this time, I have no knowledge of how to send you back to your homes. You will live in Arda until a way is discovered. While here, you shall be under the command of the Valar. You may even prove useful, there are many things we would have the people of Arda know."

Robin was in shock. She and her best friend had been transported to a world that was not supposed to exist, accused of being servants of Morgoth by one of the most powerful beings in said world, and then told she was now in the service of the accuser.

All in all, it was a bit unnerving.

The ever-irrepressible Gwen broke Robin's baffled thoughts. "All righty then, thanks Ma'am!"

Varda smiled. "You are welcome. Now, if you are indeed to serve the Valar, you must not reveal to anyone who you are or where you come from. To be sure that this will not happen, neither of you will remember any of your previous lives, or even this meeting. I may choose to reveal certain portions of this information to you, when I deem it acceptable or necessary. If this information includes your former lives, you are at no point to reveal them to any of the inhabitants of Arda unless instructed by myself or one of my kin. Do you understand?"

At Gwen's nod, Robin spoke. "We understand...er...Ma'am, but what are we supposed to tell people? What should we call ourselves, where did we supposedly come from? What's more, do we have any say in what we do?"

She said this last part rather desperately. Varda replied, "There may be few times when our interference is needed. In the end, it is you who must decide whether or not you will follow our orders. Be warned however, that we will have no choice but to remove you if you stray too far from our counsels."

Robin sat down. This was a bit much to ask of anyone, to put themselves in the hands of a completely alien force.

"I...I don't know if I could do that" she stammered. Varda frowned.

"I am sorry, these are the only conditions under which we can give you any freedom." she said firmly. Gwen came over and knelt by her friend.

"Please Robin, this is the only way right now, and I don't want to do it alone.." Robin started to shake her head, but as she met the eyes of Gwen, her best friend in any world, she hesitated. After a moment, she smiled. With a sigh, she stood. "What have I got to lose? Besides, this could be fun."

The Queen of the Valar rose. "I am glad to hear this. Go now, we will instruct you when you have need of us."

Before either of them could reply, Varda placed something in Robin's hands and a blinding white light engulfed the girls.

The last sight they beheld was the silhouette of Elbereth waving.

**End flashback**

****

**Back in Middle Earth**

Aragorn stretched as he stood from the cramped position he had spent most of the previous night in.

"Ahhh, well that was quite a nice napâ€except for the rain and the root in my back".

Gandalf rose as well and attempted to wring out his soaked robes.

"Quit your complaining, we've almost reached Fangorn."

The two dampened travelers quickly scattered the ashes of the previous night's failed fire and continued on their way.

**One hour later:**

The Ranger and the Istar had quickly arrived within the borders of the Forest, but had found no signs of their reason for being there.

"Grrrrr we still haven't even seen that loathsome creature! Bloody Orcs must've got him first" Aragorn muttered darkly.

"Yes. The Council is going to be disappointed." His companion replied tiredly.

As Aragorn continued to quietly vent his frustration, Gandalf took another look at the ancient trees surrounding them. They were all bent and gnarled, but one tree's shape caught his eye.

"What is that?" He said softly as he moved to get a better look.

Aragorn looked up and followed the wizard's eyes, "What? Where?"

Gandalf continued forward, "There, in that tree...it's two girls!"

The human finally noticed what Gandalf was looking at and added his own observations,

"Elbereth! Why would two young girls be wandering around Fangorn, of all places? I'm surprised that nothing has attacked them yet...they aren't even armed!"

"No, they aren't. But that one seems to have a book"

Gandalf replied thoughtfully.

At the word 'book', Robin's head shot up. The sudden movement caused her to drop _The Silmarillion_ right on Gandalf's head, dislodging the famous pointed hat.

"SHIT!" She exclaimed as she watched it connect with the Gray head that had appeared below her.

Gandalf let out a small "Oof!" as the small volume as well as his headwear dropped to the ground. After a few dazed seconds, he bent down to examine the book.

"What's this?" He wondered aloud as he moved to pick it up.

Robin, having remembered vaguely that this book was to be carefully guarded (for reasons she wasn't quite sure of at the moment), reacted quickly.

"NOOOOO!" She cried as she dove downward, tackling the Istar.

She recovered quickly, snatched the book off the ground and hugged it tightly.

"Mine!" She hissed. She then noticed the slightly smushed hat and moved forward to get a better look at it.

Meanwhile, Aragorn had drawn his sword, awakening Gwen from her awkward slumber in the tree. The bright blade was the first thing she was aware of.

"Wow, look it's a real sword! I've never seen one before, this is so cool!"

Aragorn momentarily forgot his hostility in surprise.

"You've never seen a sword before?!"

Gwen replied with no apparent concern for her present situation,

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

Then, realizing she had no idea why she'd never seen a real sword,

"Well now that you mention it, it is kind of weird"

Then, realizing that this person seemed familiar, several thoughts entered her befuddled mind.

"Hey, I know you, you're Aragorn, son of Arathorn! Cool! And you're also known as"

Robin, who was just as confused as her friend, but also strangely familiar with her surroundings, interjected.

"No! If you start on his names you'll be talking all day and no one wants to listen to all of..."

She trailed off as her gaze shifted to the slightly battered wizard, who was dusting himself off moodily.

"Hey, if he's Aragorn, you must be...HOLY SHIT! You're Gandalf! I'm soooo sorry about the whole attacking you thing, really, really sorry!" She exclaimed, mortified and fascinated at the same time.

Gwen didn't seem to notice Robin's distress and was happily examining the very confused Ranger's sword.

"Hey, when the sunlight hits his sword, it looks all sparkly-like!" She said as she leaned forward to get a closer look, but sadly gravity was against her. Causing her to slid forward off the branch and onto her face with her feet dangling over her head, still caught on the branch.

With this thought expressed and her brief struggle with the laws of physics over, a recent memory surfaced.

"Sparkly...just li-"

Gwen was cut off as Robin, who felt the sudden urge to prevent talk of sparkles, grabbed Gandalf's hat, pounced on Gwen, covered her mouth and stuffed the hat over her head.

After a brief struggle, Gwen had removed Robin and was reprimanding her.

"Owww! What the hell was that for, you Meany!"

Robin, who had had a sudden revelation on the origin of the sparkles, hissed in reply

"Think back!"

Realization swept over Gwen, who let out a quiet "Oh."

Gandalf and Aragorn were completely lost.

Gwen coughed softly and removed the hat from her head as Robin sat down beside her.

Gandalf shook off his confusion and cleared his throat.

"What are your na-"

He began, but stopped as he noticed a small piece of parchment that seemed to have fallen from Robin's book during their struggle.

"Now, what have we here"

Robin had also noticed the paper, and (again, somehow) knew that it was not for the wizard's eyes.

"Don't read other peoples mail!" She snapped as she snatched it from his hand. She scanned it nervously while Gandalf backed away.

Gwen, meanwhile, had stood up and begun to brush the leaves and twigs off herself. As she did so, she was seized by a sudden inspiration.

"Well, to answer your unfinished question Master Gandalf, my name is Celiya. This is my friend, Telphanra." She said with a wave in Robin's direction.

Aragorn, who was still very confused, replied,

"Well that was one question that you've managed to answer, but you have yet to explain why you were dangling in that tree! And where are you from?"

As his glare moved from the utterly unconcerned Gwen to herself, Robin attempted to answer.

"Well um...uh...you see"

Gwen, seeing that Robin was having trouble, quickly responded with another miraculous idea.

"Well, we were being chased by someone and we ran into the forest. We hid in the tree's branches, but the attacker saw us. Then the tree started moving! It defended us! But while it was swinging at the attacker, it looks like it also knocked us unconscious. I guess it got rid of the person chasing us though. We still don't know who it was. I mean, for all we know, that person could be one of you!"

She exclaimed, glaring at the two travelers.

Robin quickly caught on. "Yeah, like she said!"

Gandalf gaped at them for a moment before answering huffily,

"I assure you that neither of us attacked you!"

Aragorn nodded in affronted agreement.

The wizard continued staring at the now rather nervous girls. After studying them intently for several seconds, he went on.

"However, you both do look rather beaten up. It's not safe for you to be here unarmed and alone, why don't you travel with us for a while? We're headed for Lothlorien."

Both girls and Aragorn blinked in surprise. Robin, obeying yet another mysterious urge, nodded slowly and Gwen, who was eager to break the tension, spoke.

"Thank you very much Master Gandalf, I think we will."

She bowed, and Robin slowly imitated her.

"Well then, let's be off. We have a long way to go." Gandalf said with a smile.

As the girls quietly fell in line behind him, Aragorn shot his elder a questioning look. Under his breath, the wizard whispered,

"Galadriel will be able to sort out who they really are."


	3. Road Trip!

**DISCLAIMER: **

Celiya: You know, whenever I'm going up against a boss or mini boss, my hearts pounds like the beating of a war drum, and once I have won it still keeps beating fast. I usually say to myself, "Ha I have beaten you, you foolish monster! Ah hahaha!" But then I have to catch my breath again after laughing…

Telphanra: Stare Anyway, we don't own LOTR…

Cel (In background): Die monster, die! couple whacks later… Yes victory is mine! Loooser! heart beats crazily Oh…my heart.

"Soo, Aragorn, what's for dinner?" Robin (now known as Telphanra) asked brightly.

It had been about three days since Gandalf and Aragorn's surprise discovery of Gwen and Robin in Fangorn. At first, the girl's awe at meeting people they knew were important (although they couldn't really recall where they had heard of them) had kept them quiet and respectful. However, this began to wear off as soon as they realized that no one was taking anyone else very seriously.

"If you say rabbit one more time Strider, I **swear** I'll hit you over the head with that sword of yours!" Gwen (a.k.a Celiya) threatened, brandishing her fist.

"What? How did you know that name?" The temporary cook replied testily, glad he had an excuse to avoid answering Celiya's question.

The girl took the verbal bait and began to explain,

"Well you remember when Telphanra was yelling at me about saying all of your-"

Telphanra felt a powerful urge to subdue her friend, and obeyed it.

"Hey Cel it's not nice to swear!" She said quickly, adding a small punch on the arm to make sure she got her point across.

Celiya quickly understood her friend's distress, but she felt that the violence had been uncalled for.

"Curse you Tel!" She cried and punched the other girl back. (A/N-Cel: _cursing is better than swearing_)

A furious swatting match ensued and the bewildered Ranger tuned away, muttering

"Sorry I asked.."

Gandalf, who had been watching the girls in faint alarm, intervened.

"Excuse the interruption.." he said, adding in a mutter "Not that you seemed particularly busy…I have a question to ask you ladies, exactly how old are you?"

Tel, pausing mid-swat, answered

"We're both fifteen."

Celiya added her own thoughts,

"Well, even though I am fifteen, I don't think that I look like it. Some people have said I look sixteen, but I don't really mind. I seem to have a personality range of anywhere from twelve to twenty. But hey, who's counting?"

She said with a shrug. As these words left her mouth, it occurred to her that she had no idea where they had come from. Her state of puzzled realization was interrupted by Telphanra's latest comment,

"I believe you have been know to act more like a four year old."

Celiya's response was just as quick as her companion's,

"Hey I was probably improvising that time, you idiot!"

"Improvising? What does that have to do with anything?" Telphanra replied with another small punch.

"HEY!!" Cel cried with a swing at Telphanra.

This continued for several seconds, but as Tel took another swing at her opponent, Cel ducked. Telphanra's mini-punch came straight towards Aragorn, who blocked it clumsily.

Both ended up on the ground.

Gandalf attempted to hide his smile under an irritated expression.

"Do not make me come back there!" He said with a threatening wave of his staff.

The rather irked Ranger felt the need to defend himself,

"Hey! She started it!"

"I do not care who started it, I will finish it!" Gandalf replied sharply.

Aragorn and Telphanra stood up cautiously and began to back away. Celiya, who was facing them, took this as a sign that she had won, and grinned as she turned and stepped heavily on the edge of the wizard's long gray cloak.

This caused them both to trip, first over the cloak, then each other.

Aragorn and Telphanra winced in unison as both hit the ground.

Celiya was the first to recover.

"Owww! If that was another tree, I'm really going to be mad. Nothing else could be that knobby!" She groaned as she lay there, dazed.

Gandalf, who had risen from behind her, gave an affronted "Ahem."

Celiya slowly rotated her face upward. Instead of the sky, or the bare canopy of the suspected tree, she found herself looking at a very tall, very stern Istar.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry about that, Master Gandalf…I didn't know you were there! I'm really, really, really sorry!" She babbled anxiously.

Aragorn whispered to Telphanra,

"I'm betting on Gandalf, she's a goner.."

Telphanra whispered back,

"Well I'm betting on Cel, you haven't seen what she can do yet. I'll even stake my share of dinner on her!"

Aragorn was beginning to enjoy this. Perhaps he could find a way to avoid complaints about the dinner menu out of this little disaster.

"Fine. And if Gandalf wins, you also have to cook it."

Tel replied, "If he DOES win, which I doubt, I might make you regret this." She paused for a moment before adding,

"It's a deal."

They shook hands and shifted their attention the still apologizing Celiya.

Gandalf sighed, and before the girl could let out another 'sorry', he spoke.

"Miss Celiya, please watch where you are going in the future." He said crossly.

Celiya, still eager to defend herself, protested.

"I was! Except I was watching in front of me, not behind me, if you didn't notice."

Gandalf was equally eager to make his own point.

"Regardless of the details, you have managed to send everyone here to the ground!"

The girl now assumed a deeply offended expression, but refused to surrender.

"Hey, Tel missed me and fell into Aragorn. Technically, I had nothing to do with it! I said I was sorry, jeez! I always thought that you were the nicest one, out of all the Istari, but now you've proved me wrong!"

Gandalf was both flattered and a little taken aback, he paused before answering.

"Yes…you're right, I apologize. I should not have lost my temper…I beg your pardon."

Celiya smiled. To those unaccustomed to the complicated workings of her inner mind, she merely seemed pleased. However, Telphanra recognized it as a smile of triumph. (A/N-Cel: _Cackles Wah hahahahaha_! _Tel backs away_)

"You are pardoned." Cel said sweetly. "I shouldn't have yelled at you either, I should respect my elders more." She turned and walked away with a faint smirk.

Telphanra shared her friend's smile, and turned to Aragorn.

"Ha! What did I tell you? Looks like you still have dinner duty."

Aragorn was still trying to overcome his astonishment, had a girl, an odd one at that, just outwitted Gandalf the Gray?

Telphanra noticed the forlorn and miserable expression on the dúnadan's face, and couldn't help feeling just a bit sorry for him. Cooking duty was no picnic when it involved skinning small animals, and she had also won his share. After tonight, it might be awhile before they caught or found more food.

"Hey, why don't you keep your dinner and I'll cook. I mean, you didn't really have to bring us along…I have to do something to make it up to you."

Gandalf, who had walked up next to Aragorn, beamed.

"I'm sure Aragorn would appreciate that."

Several hours and one slightly crispy rabbit later, Celiya and Telphanra dozed peacefully by the fire as Aragorn and Gandalf discussed their plan of action.

Aragorn whispered cautiously

"Gandalf, what are we doing with these two girls, I still don't understand."

Gandalf replied softly,

"I feel that they will become important in the future. Besides, that book that Telphanra has is very intriguing… It would also be wise for Galadriel take a look at them, she'll know what to do."

**FLASHBACK**: Earlier that evening

Telphanra skimmed over the note that had fallen out of her book for the fifth time that hour. Celiya read nervously over her shoulder…

A/N- Tel: The significance and content of the note will be revealed in later chapters…SUSPENSE!


End file.
